In print, over the moon

And so, after few years of running around with the camera and freelancing stints for few online magazine, I get few of my shots printed in a magazine, which actually has a print edition :D. It feels good to see your clicks in a publication, especially when its for the first time. It all happened thanks to the fireflies all night concert that I attended(and clicked) some weeks back. The guys at the score music magazine saw some of the pics which I uploaded in my facebook photography page(http://www.facebook.com/myopiclensesphotography -yeah, cheap marketing:P) and contacted me asking for the pics. The only condition being I should send unpublished pics. Thankfully, I hadn't uploaded my whole collection and was able to supply them with enough pics. And last week, they mailed me the magazine with the pics adorning 2 pages. You can also read the magazine online at highonscore.com. They got a really good interface where you can flip the pages and read in fullscreen. BTW, Skip to page 40 :D

screenshot of the page(yea, all shots r mine :P )

The magazine

Here are some of the published and unpublished shots from fireflies music festival. The fireflies fest was an all night affair starting at 7 PM on a saturday evening and going on till 8 AM on sunday morning. The stage was set under a banyan tree inside the fireflies ashram, a peaceful place about 40 kms from Bangalore city. 5000 people sat jampacked in the amphitheatre while a few hundred more lounged around in bedsheets in the outside lawn. Fireflies is an annual affair and it truely is India's version of the legendary woodstock festival. This year, we had a whole array of bands and artists spanning various genres. It was where I discovered the band yodhaka which fuses sanskrit lyrics,carnatic slide guitar,acoustic guitars and some great percussion. Swarathma were there with their brand of folk rock. Moonarra added flavour with visual representation of their music in the form of 3 brilliant dancers. The highlight of the night was when Thermal and a quarter sang a cover of the beatles' classic 'Hey jude'. The whole crowd sang along the end chorus at 3 O clock in the morning. A truely goosebump moment that was! Other notable performances of the night were something relevant, spinifex, bicycle days etc.

Here are some published and unpublished pics from that great night

Yodhaka

Something relevant

Thermal And A Quarter(TAAQ)

Spinifex

Bicycle Days

Moonarra

your crusader Praveen

Cherrapunjee Indigenous Festival 2010

If you been planning a trip to north east and if you also happen to be a die hard rock fan, next week is the time to go! The Cherrapunjee indigenous festival is on from Dec 8th to Dec 11th. You might all be familiar with the name 'Cherrapunjee', which was a constant in our school history books as the place which recieves the highest rainfall in India. The festival's aim is to showcase the traditional art and culture of Meghalaya. The display of traditional archery will be one of the highlights. But, what might be of big interest to all the rock fans out here will be the national level rock competition to be held on the 10th of December, where the winning band will take home a cash price of Rs. 1.5 lakhs.

The icing on the cake is going to be the performances by 9 specially invited bands. The list of bands performing are as follows.

1. Indus Creed- One of India's first 'big' bands 'Indus Creed' is making a comeback. And, one of the first set of concerts is going to be at Cherrapunjee. The rock machine fronted by Uday Benegal is coming together after a real long hiatus of 10 years. So, be there to witness what they've in store for you.

2. Soulmate- The blues duo of Rudy Wallang and Tipriti 'tips' Kharbhangar needs no introduction. I've already talked about them in this blog last month. This is surely an unmissable treat.

3.Abiogenesis- A rock fusion band from Nagaland who invented a genre of their own-'Howey'. Discover for yourselves what exactly that is, cos even I don't have any idea. BTW, They were nominated for grammys in the world music category last time.

4. Susmit Bose- Dubbed as the 'Indian Bob Dylan', he's a veteran who's been performing since the 70s. His songs dealing with human rights, non violence, world peace etc has earned him accolades and also at the same time highlighted important issues.

5. Lama Tashi- The former Principal Chant master of the Dalai Lama will add a dash of spirituality to the proceedings.

6. Gyomyo Nakamura- This Japanese Buddhist is a rock musician who is said to possess some insane guitaring skills.

7. Girish n the Chronicles- This Gangtok based rock band was the first Indian band to compete in Suncane Skale music festuval in Montenegro.

8. Colours-A Shillong based band formed way back in 2004.

9. Snow White



So, Booked your tickets to Cherrapunjee????

your crusader Praveen

Baiju leaves motherjane

Sad day would be an understatement to describe this day-Novermber 24, 2010. On this day, Baiju, the master guitarist, who is one of the pillars of strength of motherjane, left the band. When Nikhil called me up in the evening with this news, I was hoping that it might be a prank. But then as I headed over to the band's official website and saw the announcement in big bold letters, I was sure that my worst fears had come true. Words can't describe the emptiness that I feel right now, a feeling shared by thousands of die hard Janiacs all over the country.

We've all grown up reading about famous rockstars leaving the big bands. Friedman leaving megadeth, Slash leaving GNR and more recently Frusciante leaving RHCP and Portnoy leaving Dream theater are all fresh in our memory. But, in all this the sadness was distant. I never felt that tinge of pain that makes the sadness personal. Today was different though. motherjane is one band which inspired a generation of rock fans in India. Many young bands cite their name as the sole reason for their existence. From that day many years ago, when I heard 'maya', motherjane's been a part and parcel of my life. There was never a day untouched by their music. There are young die hard fans like Hari who goes to any lengths to watch the band live. More than any of their contemporaries, motherjane managed to touch our lives and connect with us in ways the band would never know. We found a special joy in painting our faces and swaying to the strains of carnatic rock. Those were occasions for us to unleash the spirits within and discover our true selves. Vocalist Suraj Chettan asked us once, "Don't you guys even get bored listening to the same songs in concert after concert?" We just laughed then. The truth is we were left craving for more after each of those concerts.

motherjane is one band who has found success like few other in the Indian scene. But what sets them apart is that the success never went to their heads. Highly approachable, down to earth and lacking all the airs of being such talented musicians, these guys endeared themselves to us fans. And that explains why this band has such a big die hard fan base. Also, their music has a universal appeal with even my rock hating amma saying, "I like this", after listening to 'broken'. Many of the inspiring lyrics like 'walk on' brought in positive energy during tough times. And so, when this news came as a bolt from the blue, when the band are on an all time high, I found it hard to believe. It still hasn't sunk in. Though the band puts up a brave front saying its all on friendly mutual terms, we all know how hard it hurts. Yes, everyone has personal ambitions and we need to respect that. Still, we can just hope that the outpourings from fans will just bring back the man to where he truely belongs, amongst us, as the lead guitarist of motherjane. This is a plea from a true blue Janiac...Please come back Baiju chettaaa!

Its an irony that their own song 'Broken' explains it best, how we all feel right now
We’ve all, We've all been broken
Shattered, left mute with regrets unspoken
We’ve all loved and lost
Been forsaken, repented our deepest trust

We’ve all wondered why
Destiny picked us to cry
Why faith has to be tested,
And life doesn’t turn out the way intended

We’re mended to be broken
Yet human clay believes itself golden
Stunning in its courage to be happy
As wild elations tempered with black melancholy

your crusader Praveen

Lacuna Coil:Live in Bangalore

This post comes a bit late than intended...
First things first...One set of clicks of mine from the octoberfest was featured in mybangalore.com last month. All thanks to dear buddy Nishal Lama for that. Here's the link to that photofeature of the Karsha Kale-Midival Punditz performance. A real happy moment in my photography career.

Now to the post...
Lacuna coil, the gothic metal band from Italy performed in Bangalore as part of the Great Indian octoberfest 2 weeks back. As expected, front woman Cristina scabbia stole the show with her soaring vocals. And of course her looks. I wonder if this band would've ever existed without this superwoman, who was voted first in that famous list of top 10 metal chicks.

your crusader Praveen

Soulmate Live @ TGIOF '10

Soulmate-Rudy Wallang & Tipriti 'Tips' Kharbangar

The Great Indian October Fest(TGIOF), which happened over the weekend served up some great music, gallons of beer and wholesome entertainment. The only difference from the previous editions was the addition of artists related to bollywood. Though it helped in bringing in more crowds, it stood out as a sore thumb amidst the metal and rock bands on display. So, lets forget about the all pervasive bollywood for now, as I dig deep into one great band I discovered this sunday. Soulmate, the blues band from Shillong, is one which I been dying to listen for long. Having heard one of their tracks on an online radio before, I was left craving for more. And, all of those cravings were satisfied when they came on stage as the penultimate band of the 3 day music fest.

a jolly good mood

Rudy on top

Rudy...bending it up

Tipriti dances to one of Rudy's solos

Soulmate consists of Rudy Wallang and Tipriti 'Tips' Kharbangar doing both the guitar and vocal duties. They are accompanied by various session musicians, who change from tour to tour. For someone like me, who swears by metal and hasn't listened to less of blues, this band served as a great intro into this great genre. With vocals that covered the whole gamut, Tipriti stole the show. Looking like a hippie from the 70s in her flowing outfit and big sunglasses, she was at her best when she was screaming at the mic and roaring the verses. And, then there was the little dance she did in between, in accompaniment to one of Rudy's solos. She was at her adorable best when she went into one of their slow numbers. In one of those moments, I just fell in love with her. Rudy Wallang needs no intro. A veteran of the music scene, Rudy, in a career spanning more than 30 years, has played with many bands, one of the most famous of them being 'Great society'. With solos that ring like heavenly bells in your ears, this is a man still at the top of his game and is easily one of the best blues guitarists in India. Together this duo has carved a niche for themselves in the Indian blues scene. They are now one of my most favourite Indian bands.

The 70s Look

roaaar!

mellow

I can't hear you

I recommend Soulmate to everyone who loves those easy going songs with free spirited lyrics, that you can enjoy with a cup of coffee on a lazy sunday afternoon as well as on a hectic weekday midnight. You can listen to them at http://www.myspace.com/soulmateshillong. And if you liked it, do go on and buy their 2 albums at http://www.bluefrogsounds.com/musicstore/?artist=30. Yeah, am waiting for my copy of 'Shillong'.

your crusader Praveen

Commonwealth theme song & a scapegoat

I had vowed not to write on anything else until I finish the 14 part Himalayan saga. But seeing the cacophony surrounding A.R.Rahman's commonwealth theme song, I couldn't help but deviate from the travalogue. Some days back, before the release of the theme song 'O yaaro', media was running mad with reports of large scale corruption in the organising of the games. We listened in total shock as details of how the men behind the show made money out of procuring items ranging from toilet papers to treadmills. Everybody was baying for Kalmadi's blood. And rightfully so. Then came the release of this song. Not Rahman's masterpiece, but certainly a real good song. But suddenly someone from the organising committee raises a complaint about the song, someone whose only connection with music is the action song he sang for the school day during his LKG.

That was just the start. Then the media catches on to it. They conduct polls as usual and rig the results to their advantage, to match their view points. CNN IBN went as far as to write an article titled 'Rahman's top 10 duds' and listed 'Vinnaithaandi varuvaaya', 'kaathal desam', 'yodha', 'jeans' and 'raavan' as some of those. A badly researched article which will get top rating in the competition for 'worst journalism awards'. The poll question is titled 'Why does the CWG anthem not work for you?' with choices 'slow-paced', 'lacks punch' and 'rahman is missing'. So what about those people for whom this song works? What is the point of conducting such an one sided poll which was created under the assumption that not a single person in India likes this song? Some say it doesn't feel like 'waka waka'. If you want to feel like 'waka waka', go and listen to that song. And if you wanted a song like that, you would've done yourself a favour by hiring someone like Anu Malik. People throwing mud at Rahman should first list out memorable sporting anthems that were churned out from our country in the past. The same people who sang praises for him after the oscar are slinging mud with vengeance. When will we learn to be balanced! Its the same thing that happens with Sachin. A man gives his all for 20 years, win match after match and still people attack him if he under performs in one match. Those who criticise such talented men should first look at themselves and think why they still haven't achieved anything to speak about.

This whole controversy is nothing but a ploy by Kalmadi and co. to deviate the attention from their own wrong doings. Suddenly, everyone seems to think that the only thing that the games is lacking is a good theme song. There's no more news on the murky dealings that went behind the games. They are now planning to get a new theme song. And then, everything will be fine and we can match Beijing olympics. What about the unfinished infrastructure, the incomplete games village and approach roads and the half made stadiums? What about 1000s of crores that disappeared into thin air? Changing the theme song(a good song at it) is not going to bring about a change in all this. And its time the media and public realised that they are dealing with conmen in the garb of politicians and that they dont mind making one of our best musicians a scapegoat to keep their slates clean. They should also know that all Rahman did is to compose a song. You may like it or not. But he certainly doesn't deserve this criticism. We should learn to respect our artists, especially truely gifted ones like him

And its not right to stop this post without sharing this great song by the great band 'Thermal and a quarter'(TAAQ). The song titled 'Kickbackistan' is being promoted as the official anthem of the Uncommon wealth games. Hope you got an idea...

your crusader Praveen

Lamb of God weekend-II

few of the tickets

Having finished with the apetizer, we were all charged up for the D-Day. The night was long with partying going on till the wee hours of saturday. The day dawned on us with the arrival of a 10 member battalion from back home making it 20 people at home. What followed was hours of nostalgic talk on our previous concert experiences and many rounds of leg pulling. And then there were the photoshoots. As time wore on, it was time for the pilgrimage to Palace grounds. And thats exactly when the rain Gods decided to open up a bit. Anyway, we all stuffed ourselves into the van and proceeded to the venue. It was an experience, zipping through the Bangalore roads with metal blaring from the speakers. Although some among us were scared of the police stopping us.

Thankfully, it hadn't rained at the grounds. 3 of the opening acts were already over by the time we reached. From what I heard, Bhoomi was at the receiving end of the crowd's wrath and Boomerang impressed with their RATMesque style. I was disappointed at missing the Bombay based metal act Scribe. Their CD was impressive and so was waiting to watch their live act. And according to reports they did strike a chord with the audience. The moshpit became active around the time when they played. As we reached, the last of the opening acts, 'Extinct reflections(ER)' were getting on stage. And we all jumped into the pit with our own trademark moves, which did result in few poor souls eating some mud. ER was nowhere near the perfection that they attained, the last time I saw them. Lack of practise maybe a reason, considering the fact that the guitarist flew in from LA, just for this one last gig. It was suprising to see Randy blythe, the vocalist of Lamb of God, watching them intently from the sidelines. Without the airs of being such an international star, he was quietly appreciating the local acts. As ER got over, it was time for a long break to set the stage for the virginia metallers. It was a time to meet all old friends who had landed up at the arena. I bumped into bloggers vinay, dikshith and sanjay. and also some others. Members of bands from kerala like the down troddence, purple blood and crimson wood were in full force. The sad part for me was that I couldn't carry my cam inside and had to be content with some dirty clicks from mobile. But then, I spent only a few minutes in clicking as it was more fun with your hands free.

And after more than an hour of roaming around and waiting, the lights dimmed on stage. We slowly started moving in. Blue tinted bulbs began to shine and the opening strains of 'The passing', the opening song of LOG's new album 'Wrath' were heard. As the short song subsided, LOG was on stage with 'In your words', accompanied by a blast of lighting effects. Yes, there they were. Chris Adler, the modern drumming God flanked on both sides by Bassie John campbell and guitarists Willie Adler and Mark Morton and led by the inimitable Randy Blythe. The opening scream of 'In your words' sent shivers down the spine. The moshes had already started in full swing. It was pushing and shoving all around with some searching for a space to breath. 'Set to fail' followed, the song name signifying the opposite of what Lamb of God was going to do this day. The sore point was a little bad mixing in the sound console. The drums were perfect, with each kick reverberating in everyone's hearts. But the guitars and vocals were drowned out. Even Randy's open throated screams sounded feeble sometimes. And this condition stayed throughout the concert. Wish the organisers gave a little more importance to the sounds, as its been a bane in international rock fests in India, most notably the Megadeth one. By the time they started belting out their classics, I had somehow reached the front row and stayed there for the rest of the show. 'Now you've got something to die for' had most of the audience singing along. And as it happens with bands visiting India for the first time, LOG were surprised too.

randy blythe(mobile click)

the band, thanking the Indian metalheads(mobile click)

one of those 'moments'(mobile click)

Willie Adler and randy blythe(mobile click)

Randy dedicated the song 'Contractor' to Mahatma Gandhi, descibing him as a punk rock dude. Ofcourse, he meant it with all respect unlike what some misinterpreted it to be. Chris Adler evoked a sense of awe with his brilliance. This guy deserves a big bow because he started drumming at the relatively late age of 22 and mastered it in such a short time. Rather, he has grown into a drumming God. Classics like 'laid to rest' and 'walk with me in hell' followed. There was no reprieve for the audience unlike traditional concerts where the band goes off stage and gets back with an encore. It was all over in a flash. 15 odd songs in the gap of about 75 minutes. 75 minutes of non stop headbanging, pushing, shoving, broken noses, flaring tempers and mixing sweatdrops. And then, the stage was clean. Everyone waited for the encore, but had to walk back disappointed. Still, the sense of achievement was on view, on most faces, of having watched one of the best metal bands of the modern era. This classification won't go down well with LOG, who are in there just to make music rather than compete. But then, I can be sure none of them will ever read this blog and so I can take the liberty to classify them. And its not right to end without thanking the 2 youngsters Arpan Peter and Vivek Venugopal who floated the event management company 'Overture' and made this concert a reality. Whatever be the glitches, this guys and their team deserve a standing ovation for pulling off something of this magnitude. And yes, DNA can think twice before bringing in gay pop bands to rock concerts. You've got competitors here, guys who has passion for the music rather than an eye on the 'market'.

The exponents of Pure American metal sent the audience into a tizzy with the unrelenting brutal assault of metal. This concert means a lot to Indian metalheads. To know what 'Lamb of God' has done to the metal scene in India, you just need to listen to the numerous Indian bands inspired by them. That distinctive drumming style and breakneck riffing are aped(no disrespect meant here..cos aping LOG is no mean task) by many a band in India, much like Metallica, Slayer and Iron Maiden inspired many in the 80s and 90s. Lamb of God is truely the deserving flagbearer of metal in the noughties and beyond. And it takes guts and passion to stay true to the roots, to stay brutal...as ever!

a part of the battalion

droopy eyes, but soaring spirits in the wee hours of saturday.

Dedicating this blog to Ronnie James Dio, the high priest of heavy metal who passed away recently.

your crusader Praveen